The Navy announced the selection of five Sailors from more than 70 nominees as the Capt. Joy Bright Hancock and Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian Leadership Award winners April 17.

Established in 1987, the Capt. Joy Bright Hancock and Master Chief Anna
Der-Vartanian Leadership Awards honor Navy men and women with visionary
leadership whose ideals and dedication foster a positive work environment
while reinforcing and furthering the integration of women in the Navy.

The annual awards recognize the inspirational leadership of Navy officers
and enlisted Sailors on active or reserve duty.

The 2017 Capt. Joy Bright Hancock Leadership awardees are:

Senior Officer: Cmdr. Laura McMullen, associate director for Nursing
Services, U.S. Naval Hospital, Guam

Junior Officer: Lt.jg. Raven Stevenson, Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer,
USS Pinckney (DDG 91), homeported in San Diego

LDO/Warrant: Lt. Lyndsay Cirino, Personnel Officer/Educational Services
Officer, USS George Washington (CVN 73), homeported in Norfolk, Virginia

The 2017 Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian Leadership awardees are:

Senior Enlisted: Command Master Chief (AW/SW/IW/NAC) Cynthia Baker,
Command Master Chief, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 74 (HSM 74),
Jacksonville, Florida

Junior Enlisted: Aviation Maintenance Administration 1st Class (AW) Amy
Kretchman, Logs and Records Leading Petty Officer, Helicopter Sea Combat
Squadron 12 (HSC 12), Atsugi, Japan

Each package was graded on the criteria of professional accomplishments,
character, command climate/equal opportunity, leadership, and community
involvement. The award winners went above and beyond in every category,
exhibiting extraordinary service. Highlighted below are some of their
accomplishments as detailed in their command award submission.

McMullen successfully led a team of 108 Service members and civilians to
provide exceptional health care across three inpatient units. She expertly
administered 12 provider and instructor courses and was the sole authorized
course director and instructor trainer for the entire island of Guam.

Stevenson led her division through a challenging year-long Drydock Selected Restricted Availability, ensuring a complete equipment upgrade and resulting in a fully combat-ready warfighting team. As the only Weapons and Tactics Instructor aboard, she has played a major part in the development of every junior officer aboard.

While aboard the George Washington, Cirino filled critically gapped
billets and streamlined pay and personnel procedures for 3,100 Sailors, as
well as administered 1,400 advancement exams with zero discrepancies. She
effectively forged 40 Sailors into a cohesive unit, following an
unprecedented three-carrier crew swap and led the department's Maintenance
and Material Management (3M) program to score the highest 3M inspection
score in four years for an Atlantic Fleet aircraft carrier.

Baker led Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW 3)'s largest squadron of 222 Sailors and
27 Chief Petty Officers embarked on four different ships through four
successful workup periods, during the Navy's inaugural Optimized Fleet
Response Plan deployment. Additionally, she successfully led the first
MH-60R squadron to deploy with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).

Kretchman executed the responsibilities of Logs and Records Division
Leading Petty Officer, Maintenance Control Leading Petty Officer, and
Maintenance Control Safe-for-Flight Chief, leading 187 maintenance
technicians. She meticulously managed nine of the toughest maintenance
programs from the Commander, Naval Air Forces "Top 10" list of repeat
program failures.

Winners will receive their awards at the Joint Women's Leadership Symposium (JWLS), June 15-16, in Norfolk, Virginia. JWLS is hosted annually by the Sea Service Leadership Association (SSLA), and this year's theme is "SSLA, Celebrating 30 Years; Charting Your Course, Navigating Your Future!" More information on SSLA and JWLS can be found here:
http://www.sealeader.org/event/30th-annual-joint-womens-leadership-symposium/.

Capt. Joy Bright Hancock guided the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency
Service (WAVES) through difficult years in the later 1940s and early 1950s, a period that saw the Navy's women achieve status as part of the Regular Navy. Master Chief Anny Der-Vartanian made history as the first female in the U.S. Armed Forces to be promoted to the rank of E-9. Both of these iconic women spent the majority of their lives acting as stewards for female integration in the Navy.

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